Escaping Affliction
by Panino
Summary: Leon Kennedy and Ashley Graham have yet to escape from Los Illuminados. Things only seem to be going downhill as they struggle to escape. Will they be defeated by their own loss of hope?
1. How They Live

**AN: **These fine characters belong to Capcom, not me.

_**Escaping Affliction**_

Chapter One: How They Live

The sky was dark, and the air was heavy with melancholy. Gargantuan clouds loomed overhead, rain threatening to spill from the heavens.

Two figures ran in the shadows. The first one was burly, and built with noticeably sturdy looking muscles. His pale yet handsome face was grim with caution, and his sandy mop of hair was tousled from the wind. In his hand he gripped a pistol. One could tell by the look on his face that he knew how to use it.

Closely behind him followed a second figure. This one was more petite. Her skin was just as blanched as her partner's. She was fair haired and quite charming herself, besides the horror stricken expression worn on her face. At the occasional sound of the wind, she clung to her companion.

They had been going for days without food. In their current condition the two wouldn't be able to last much longer. At least the girl wouldn't. Her wiry legs were shaking with fatigue, if not from fear.

"Ashley, you need to rest." The deep voice of the man sounded. He stopped running, deciding he could use a break as well.

His companion, Ashley, shook her head in protest. "Not here," she panted. Her breaths came out ragged. How she kept up with the swiftness and dexterity of her partner, she didn't know.

They moved on, Leon, the male, slowing his pace to ensure that the girl would not fall behind. He needed to find a place for them to stay the night. More importantly, they needed food if they were to survive. He watched Ashley out of the corner of his eye. She was struggling more and more as time wore on.

Working for the U.S. Secret Service, Leon S. Kennedy never knew exactly what kind of work he'd be asked to do, but it was never something as strenuous as this. The man couldn't remember how long it had been since he'd arrived in Spain. That was the least of his worries. After all, his main objective was to see that the President's daughter arrived home safely. That was Ashley. Unfortunately, though, things weren't going as planned. When told that his mission was to rescue the girl from a mysterious cult, he didn't exactly expect to be bombarded by innumerable bloodthirsty zombies.

Ashley Graham fought to keep up with the back of the agent sent to rescue her. Her eyes drooped sleepily, regardless of the knots of fear that were tugging in the pit of her stomach. She knew that without the man she was following, she would have still been locked up in a dark room, waiting for something horrendous to happen. Though she was more than grateful, she was aware that she was nothing more than a burden to him.

They continued walking for some time. The sky grew progressively darker, if that was possible. Clouds of a deep obsidian color billowed menacingly. Ashley's ankle rolled, and almost instantaneously she was on the ground. Her eyes were defeated; she had no will to survive anymore. Water began to spritz from the sky.

"I don't think I can make it, Leon," she murmured weakly.

"Don't say that." He knelt down, offering his arm to help her, despite his annoyance with her attitude.

She threw him a hopeless look. "I don't think I can," she said again.

He clenched his jaw, and his brows furrowed. "So you're going to give up on me, huh?"

"What do you _expect_ me to do? We've been stuck here for who knows how long!"

The rain was cascading hard now, and Ashley's hair hung like curtains around her face. She squinted her eyes to see the man before her through the torrential downpour.

"For Christ's sake! You expect to get out of this _hellhole_ like this?!" She continued her rampage.

"Ashley," Leon said, trying to capture the girl's attention.

"I'm tired, I'm cold, I'm hungry, and I refuse to go anywhere with_ you!"_

"Ashley!" He failed again.

"I wish you'd just let those zombies eat me back there!"

Leon shook her hard by the shoulders in an attempt to shut her up. "Ashley, look." His left arm extended forward, pointing to something.

There, in the distance, stood a shack. It wasn't luxury, and there was the strong possibility of something unpleasant lurking inside, but it was more promising than staying outside in a monsoon.

"That wasn't there before," Ashley muttered, pouting like a three year old.

"Yeah, well, you were too busy biting my head off to notice it."

"Sorry," she said, allowing him to help her to her feet.

"Whatever, let's go."

The two of them walked to the shack, and their senses became sharper as they came closer to it. Leon drew his pistol from its holster and signaled for Ashley to stop. Alone, he slowly approached the loosely closed door, which swung open from the force of the wind. Leon's pulse quickened as he took in the small inside of the shed. It was completely desolate, though a sour odor seemed to pour out of it. He entered with his gun at the ready, just in case. This seemed to be a daily routine for him now. This was, after all, how they lived now. Every day was a mixture of pain, grief, and torment with little breaks in between. Some days there weren't any breaks.

"It's safe," he called out. He holstered his weapon.

Ashley walked in, her eyes wide. "Nothing's here? You're sure?"

He looked at her with sobriety. "Not at the moment."

"Can I sleep?" She was already sitting down against the far wall of the hut.

Leon nodded. "I'll keep watch," he said, though he wanted nothing more than to sleep himself.

She was asleep within moments. Leon watched her for a few moments. There were bags underneath her eyes, and there was no doubt that he had them also. Neither of them had slept soundly since they'd been here. He walked across the room to sit a few feet in front of the girl, his back facing her.

"I'm sorry I yelled earlier," Ashley mumbled, taking the man by surprise. She wasn't asleep after all.

Leon turned his head to look at her. Her eyes were still closed.

"I do trust you."

An oddly deafening silence rang through the room before Leon opened his mouth to reply. "Don't worry about it. Just get some sleep."

She didn't say anything more, and in a few minutes her breathing slowed.

Leon rested his arms across his knees. Rain continued to pummel the roof of the shack. The sound of it was nearly mesmerizing. The girl's words ran through his head. _I do trust you._ They held no comfort for him. It was the fact that she did trust him that bothered him the most. He believed less and less each day whether he could truly liberate them from this darkness.

**AN:** Sorry it was a short first chapter. Please let me know what you guys think. Constructive criticism is well appreciated!

-Panino


	2. A Dreadful Encounter

**AN: I love Leon and Ashley, but they're not my own creations. Alwight, here's for Chapter Zwei!**

**Chapter Two: A Dreadful Encounter  
**

A musty light lit the one-roomed shack, waking the two who were sleeping in it until a moment ago. Ashley's eyes cracked open. Her mouth opened into a yawn as she raised her arms above her head in a stretch. The girl's stomach rumbled painfully, and she remembered instantaneously how hungry she was. In front of her, Leon was already on his feet and staring down at her expectantly. He offered her his hand, and she allowed him to help her to her feet.

She wanted to ask him how he was functioning with such ease. She stared at his back, sturdy as ever. _Does he experience physical pain?_ she couldn't help but wonder.

He walked to the doorway of the hut, peering outside. It was now daylight.

"Are we going?" She asked, her voice raspy, most likely from all the yelling she did last night.

"I'd like to find something to eat before we leave here. Who knows how long it'll be until we can find another place to rest." He scanned the horizon, and wondered where in this God-forsaken land he could find food.

Ashley felt relieved. Useless, but relieved. Her feet ached along with the rest of her.

Leon turned to her. "I know I'm asking for a lot, but could you stay here while I look for food? I won't go far."

He watched her face go white at the prospect of being alone. _Someone_ had to find food, and he knew she didn't have it in her to go anywhere. He even thought of leaving his pistol with her as an alternative. He looked at her frail arms, though. If something tried to kill her, the recoil might be enough to finish the job.

"Don't leave me," Ashley whimpered, her lips trembling slightly.

Leon wished he could sympathize. "Ashley, look at our alternatives," he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his thumb and his forefinger. "One: we both stay here and starve to death. Two: we leave in an attempt to escape, which will probably end with us dying of fatigue anyhow. Either way, we're just leaving our bodies for those monsters to pick clean."

Ashley didn't say anything, but merely looked at her feet. She _wanted_ to be brave like he was. She did. She wanted very much to be able to tell him to leave her. But she just didn't have it in her.

"It'll be faster if I go alone. So just wait here, okay?" He looked at her, expecting her to refuse. When she didn't reply, though, he turned to the barren landscape once again. He cleared his dry throat and set out on what seemed a useless mission.

* * *

Ashley sat in the corner, embracing her knees. She was trying her hardest not to cry. It must have been at least an hour since Leon left. _It'll be faster if I go alone._ What did he mean by that? Should she feel insulted?

He was right, though. Without a doubt, he was right. Ashley was always slowing them down, and she herself knew it.

Outside, the girl heard a scuffling. It sounded like a pair of feet. She straightened, a tremor of fear rippling through her insides. But it was again quiet, nothing to be heard. Probably just her imagination. She hoped Leon would hurry up. She was glad he was finding something for them to eat, but just how long would he keep her here by herself?

Another scuffling. This time Ashley stood up, her back pressing against the wooden wall behind her. She held her breath, ears straining for any indication of company. Again, there was nothing. Maybe she was losing her mind.

She slid back down to the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. _Hurry up_, she thought, her brows pulling into a frown. For the next hour she drifted in and out of sleep, slipping through the comfort of sleep and the paranoia that came with consciousness. Just when she thought she had lost to exhaustion, Leon's voice broke through, loud and clear.

"The only thing I could find were some roots. Nothing appetizing, but it'll do for now."

Ashley's head jerked up, and it became much easier to breath again as she eyed the man before her. Hastily, she stood up, and walked over to him. Leon half-smiled at her before walking to the back of the shack.

It was then, when he was caught off guard for a split second, that it happened.

Her eyes widened. "Le-Leon."

He turned. Leon's breath caught in his throat. There, in all its atrocity, stood the resident of the shack. The resident that was now standing behind Ashley, only milliseconds from mutilating her body.

Dirty fingers curled themselves around Ashley's neck, cutting off her source of oxygen.

It happened in a flash from there. Adrenaline surged through Leon's bloodstream. The first bullet punctured the zombie's shoulder, narrowly missing Ashley. Its fingers slipped from her windpipe, uttering a horrible screech.

Unable to breath from fear, Ashley watched as blood began to ooze from the wound, then looked at Leon, who was holding his pistol at the ready. In Leon's opinion, the deep crimson fluid matched well with its already soiled clothing. He fired again. This time it hit spot on. Blood was everywhere. On Leon. On Ashley, who was now shaking erratically.

Its head nearly decapitated, the zombie fell forward, inches in front of Leon's shoes.

Leon let his arms drop, and he holstered his weapon. "Are you okay?"

Ashley dropped down on her knees, her pale arms hanging limp by her sides. She burst into a fit of coughing, and salty tears spilled over her cheeks, mixing with the flecks of blood on her face. "I can't do this anymore," she whimpered helplessly. "I hate this. I hate _them._" The girl gestured to the lifeless heap in front of her.

"I know," Leon murmured. He looked back at the zombie, wondering what he should do with it. More importantly, what he should do with Ashley. It was a surprise she hadn't gone insane yet. He doubted any other person would have done so long ago. Leon walked over to her, stepping around the body. He offered her his hand, and willingly she took it. Then, he led her to the back of the shack, where she sat down again, her knees failing her. Her breath was coming in quick chokes, it made Leon's lungs hurt to watch her.

"Try to calm down, okay?" he said. "You're too weak to get worked up like this."

_Too weak._

"Calm down," Ashley muttered through sobs. "Right."

She looked at Leon, and this seemed to calm her. The man was digging in his pocket for something. His hand came out, grasping a handful of smooth leaves.

"What's that?" she asked.

"They're to eat." He gave the majority of the leaves to her. The girl watched him slip some into his mouth, chewing slowly, his expression unchanging.

"Do you at least know what plant it is? Because if it's poison, I wouldn't be surprised," she said sourly, hiccuping on the last word.

"It's _silene vulgaris, _or rattleweed. Completely edible."

Ashley raised her eyebrows at him, and he grinned.

"I know my stuff," he stated matter-of-factly.

She attempted a smile, but it felt wrong on her face.

"I better be paid extra for this." Ashley looked over at him. He wasn't smiling this time.

"You just blew the head off of a zombie, and you're thinking about money," she said, disbelieving.

He shrugged. "Gotta have something to look forward to."

She nodded, seeing his point. She chewed on a few of the leaves he gave her. The taste was bland, but it was much preferred to the sickening taste in her mouth. Her stomach welcomed the sparse nutrients.

The sky outside was now growing dark, a golden color tinging the lining of the horizon. The two new owners of the shack sat facing the door, watching the sun disappear. Leon had dragged the zombie out of the shack, but a rusty stain could still be seen on the ground. Ashley was laying down, looking at the stain, lost in her thoughts. _How did these people get like this?_ she wondered. She wondered if they were ever like her, somewhat normal. But she couldn't relate herself to them. Thinking like that would be the thing to get her killed.

Leon came back in and sat beside her, sprawling his legs out in front of him. His eyes closed, and Ashley wanted to ask him how he could even consider sleeping. She thought against it, though, as she looked at the food -- if you could call it food -- in her hands.

Something metallic caught Ashley's eye as the last bit of sunlight disappeared. Leon's pistol. All that was left in the darkness of the hut was the gleaming of Ashley's eyes. She stared at that pistol with uncertainty.

_Too weak._

Her eyes wouldn't close. Even as she was tempted by the sound of Leon's relaxed breathing, she wouldn't sleep. She knew now _exactly_ what her problem was: She was a burden, and she wanted that fixed.


End file.
